turn your supporters into third-party fundraisers · in the age of digital and social media, ......

TURN YOUR SUPPORTERS INTO

THIRD-PARTY FUNDRAISERS

Table ofcontents

WHAT IS THIRD-PARTY FUNDRAISING? 1

HOW DOES IT BENEFIT MY CHARITY? 2

IS THIRD-PARTY FUNDRAISING POPULAR? 3

FUNDRAISER IDEAS TO INSPIRE YOUR SUPPORTERS 4

ENGAGING CORPORATIONS AND GROUPS 5

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR YOUR PROGRAM 6

ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 7

FUNDRAISER TOOLS TO SUCCEED 8

ONLINE TOOLS TO MAKE THIRD-PARTY FUNDRAISING EASIER 9

ENGAGING YOUR SUPPORTERS TO PARTICIPATE 10

In the age of digital and social media, individuals are more empowered than ever to

support causes dear to their heart by hosting their own in-person or virtual fundraisers.

Is your organization doing everything it can to encourage your supporters to become

fundraisers for your cause? In this guide, you will learn how your charity can benefit from

volunteer third-party fundraising, how to set up your own program and how to effectively

engage your supporters into participating.

CanadaHelps – CanaDon is a registered charity • BN: 896568417RR0001 • 1-877-755-1595 • [email protected] • www.canadahelps.org 1

What is third-party fundraising?

Unlike walks, runs or other “thons” hosted and financed by a non-profit organization, third-party fundraisers are planned and

executed by volunteer individuals, businesses, or community groups who are passionate about supporting a charity.

The responsibility of developing the fundraising idea, organizing, managing and financing is assumed by the person or group

hosting, while the non-profit receives all the funds raised. With the right platform, charitable organizations can empower third-

party fundraisers with little to no need for their own involvement. For example, you have the option to require approval and

coaching from your team, or you can let your fundraisers run with their ideas all on their own.

You have probably seen examples of third-party fundraising on your social media channels, at your kids’ school, or local community centre.

Sounds like a winning scenario for your organization, and

it is! However, you need to provide your supporters with a

framework, some guidance and a fundraising platform, also

known as a crowdfunding platform, that allows them to easily

collect funds for your organization to help them succeed—and

hopefully do it again.

Read on to learn more about setting up a successful third-

party fundraising platform for your charity. If you are looking

for tips and tricks on launching your own charity-driven “thon”,

download our free, comprehensive white paper,

Launching Your First Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Fundraising Event.

http://www.canadahelps.org

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/p2p-whitepaper/


How does it benefit my charity?Easy and cost-effective access to technological solutions has given non-profits a myriad of ways to connect with their supporters

and raise more funds. With the help of social media, your supporters can spread the word to their friends, and family, amplifying

your message with little effort and investment from you.

Of all the available tools in your toolkit, why should you choose third-party fundraising?

Here are some possible benefits that can help you determine if it’s the right solution for you.

Save time and money:

Your organization does not have to be as heavily involved (if at all) in planning and financing a fundraiser.

In fact, most fundraisers are either virtual or part of an existing event like a birthday party—incurring no cost

to you at all.

Extra revenue stream:

Your supporters may already be donating to your cause regularly, but this provides them with another way to

give more.

Grow donations year-round:

Third-party fundraisers can be held in celebration of birthdays, weddings and more, allowing you to raise

funds regularly throughout the year.

Gain new supporters:

Through these fundraisers, new supporters will be introduced to your cause giving you a great opportunity to

nurture new, repeat donors.

Boost geographic reach:

It’s a great way to reach more Canadians from coast-to-coast without breaking your marketing budget.



It sounds like a great strategy—someone else does most of the work and your charity gets the benefit of all the funds raised.

You may be wondering “is this something a lot of people actually want to do?”

The concept of third-party fundraising has been around for years. There’s no shortage of people who are personally connected

to or passionate about a cause and want to help by hosting their own fundraiser. In today’s hyperconnected digital world, it is

easier than ever to spread the word about an in-person event or host a virtual event, and to raise more funds. Thus, volunteer

third-party fundraising has been increasing in popularity.

Here’s what Canadians were up to in 2016:

In an April 2016 survey completed by over 5,500 Canadians who use CanadaHelps to donate or fundraise for charity, 36% said

they are likely to donate their birthday to a charity by creating a fundraising page, and in lieu of gifts, asking friends and family to

donate.

You need to tap into that desire of your supporters. Help them turn that goodwill into funds for your organization by giving them

the tools to execute fun and successful fundraisers in support of your cause!

Thousands of individuals raised funds for charities by launching personal fundraisers through the CanadaHelps.org site for donors

The average personal fundraiser raised $1,421

The average donation amount to a personal fundraiser was $151

The vast majority were virtual events requiring minimal time and no financial outlay

Is third-party fundraising popular?



Fundraiser ideas to inspire your supportersFor your third-party fundraising program to take off, you must

give your supporters some inspirational fundraising ideas.

Most charities find it’s best to provide supporters with many

fundraiser concepts, and keep it open. If you have the flexibility,

you can even offer the option of a custom event, giving the

fundraiser the creative freedom to plan a fundraiser that is

truly meaningful to them.

However, depending on your organization’s goals, if you

have a jam-packed marketing calendar, and based on the

demographics of your audience, promoting a specific type of

fundraiser might work best. It could be one, simple option such

as Donate Your Birthday or Fundraise for Your Trek.

In time, you may choose to set up different sites for different

types of third-party fundraisers. This is particularly true if

Tribute donations are a significant source of funds for your

organization.

Here are some fundraiser ideas to fuel your creativity, including sample messaging for your supporters!

Birthdays, weddings, graduations and other

special occasions

In lieu of accepting gifts, ask your friends and

family to donate to your fundraising page. It’s a

great way to show that you are grateful for what

you have on your special day and would like to

share your blessings with others.

Challenge events such as runs, walks or

sporting games

Host your own challenge event and ask

participants to join or create a team and

fundraise a minimum amount. You’ll be doing

something good for yourself and your cause.

Bake sales, craft sales, car washes and other

community events

Turn your passion into a fundraising tool with

the proceeds from your event being donated.

Who doesn’t love to eat a cupcake for a good

cause?

Memorials and tributes honouring a

loved one

Create a fundraising page in tribute or in

memory of a loved one, supporting a cause that

is important to both of you. Consider honouring

your furry friends in support of an animal

related charity.

Holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah,

Mother’s Day and more

Seasonal and religious holidays are a popular

time to give back, so if there’s a cause you

are particularly passionate about, start a

fundraising page for it.

School or corporate events

Engage your students, co-workers or

employees in a cause that is important to you or

ties into a school project or corporate culture.

You can host a fun event like a bake sale,

sporting game or silent auction.



Engaging corporations and groupsCompanies are realizing that a key ingredient in their recipe for success these days is giving back. Consumers are more conscious

of choosing brands that are involved in their communities or support a cause.

Because of this, more and more corporations are choosing to engage in philanthropy and to partner with local charities.

In addition to helping build a company’s profile, it has been shown to boost employee morale, and enrich the local community.

If a corporation or group is aligned with your mission and expressing interest in hosting a third-party fundraiser, it could be a

great opportunity for your charity.

Not ready to take inbound requests from corporations or groups? That’s okay! You can position third-party fundraisers as being

for individuals only. But take note of the corporations that are interested. Should the opportunity arise for them to get involved in

the future—for example, by sponsoring an upcoming campaign—reach out to them for support.



Laying the groundwork for your programYou’re convinced third-party fundraising is the right solution for your organization and are ready to get started. Great!

Before you let your supporters run with your amazing fundraising ideas, it’s important to put a few things in place to ensure

the program’s success—for your charity and the fundraiser. You want to strike that perfect balance of letting fundraisers do

it themselves, and making sure your organization is comfortable that fundraisers are on-brand and on-mission. Make your

supporters feel welcome to ask the odd question that might be key to their fundraising success.

Organizational policies and procedures

• Ensure organization-wide support and select the

right people to run your program.

• Define measurable goals and monitor progress quarterly

to see if any tweaks to the program need to be made to

improve outcomes.

• Carefully choose the types of fundraisers you want to

promote based on your goals and capacity. If maintaining

brand control is important, you may guide your supporters

to only consider simple, virtual types of fundraisers,

recognizing the in-person events may create more demands

on your charity.

• Consider creating Terms and Conditions governing your

third-party fundraising to make sure you are compliant

with applicable laws, and to make sure fundraisers follow

your messaging guidelines and use your creative assets

appropriately.

• Decide if approval for third-party fundraisers will be

required and set guidelines for what types of fundraisers

your organization will approve. If it’s an individual

conducting a virtual fundraiser and using your online

fundraising page template and donation platform, you

probably don’t need to approve individual events.

However, if a fundraiser is proposing a larger public event,

doing any paid advertising or seeking media to attend, you

may prefer to get more involved.

• If you decide that approval is required, appoint a person who

will oversee contracting, approvals, ongoing support and

post-event follow-up.

• Decide on how many resources you are willing to commit to

supporting fundraisers. For example, will you attend events if

invited? Who can attend such events and how often?

• Make sure you have as much access as you need to a web

developer and/or designer who’s able to create a landing

page on your website to promote third-party fundraising,

develop graphics for your platform, help you develop tools

for your fundraisers and make them available online.

1



Fundraiser tools to succeed

It’s a little bit of work up front, but giving your third-party fundraisers the tools they need to succeed will ensure the program

runs smoothly on both ends. Keep it simple, and within the scope of your program and organizational capabilities. If at any point

you find yourself getting too involved with individual events, take a step back and revisit the tools you have in place.

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Sample “Host Your Own In-Person Fundraiser” toolkit:

• Fundraising event ideas and guidelines

for what’s involved

• A checklist of to-do’s

• Step-by-step planning guide for

in-person events

• Fundraising tips and best practices

• Key messages about your

organization’s impact

• Sample fundraising emails and social

posts

• FAQs

Sample To-Do Checklist:

Create a fundraising page and agree to our Terms and

Conditions.

Download our online Host Your Own In-Person Fundraiser

toolkit.

Promote your event via word of mouth, social media or

email.

Provide updates and encouragement throughout your

event to keep your supporters engaged.

Send a “Last Call” message to your friends and family five

days before your event end date so they can help you reach

or exceed your fundraising goal.

If you’ve received any funds by cash or cheque, please

provide us with the funds within 30 days of the event end

date.

Show plenty of gratitude and thank each person who

donated, so they feel appreciated for contributing to your

fundraising event.



Online tools to make third-party fundraising easierReceiving donations and providing individual tax receipts is made much simpler if you use an online platform designed to do so.

That way, your fundraisers won’t have to manage pledge forms, cash and credit card numbers, and you will be able to stay focused

on your core fundraising program.

Here are some benefits of using the CanadaHelps online fundraising solution to help manage your third-party fundraising:

Custom fundraising pages:

Third-party fundraisers can quickly and

easily create their personal fundraising

pages using your organization’s

customized templates—you are in full

control of the look and messaging.

Automatic tax receipts: Tax receipts are

issued to donors automatically instead

of your charity having to issue them

manually. The “thank you” message can be

customized and you can include your logo

on the receipt.

Automatic fund transfers: Donated

funds are automatically transferred to

your organization instead of having to

wait for the person hosting the fundraiser

to manually send them to you.

New donor lists: You can download

reports and information about the new

donors who were introduced to your

cause through the fundraiser. Upload

them to your CRM and start nurturing!

Fundraising terms: Fundraisers must

agree to your Terms and Conditions up

front, before they create a page, saving

you the headache of chasing after them

for compliance.

Easy to manage: An online solution is

more accurate and provides real-time

information on all fundraisers.

CanadaHelps provides a turnkey solution for online third-party fundraising with Peer-to-Peer Social Fundraising. Learn more now!


http://www.canadahelps.org/en/for-charities/peer-to-peer-social-fundraising/


Build a stellar landing page: The landing page for your

third-party fundraising program is where people will go to learn

more about getting involved. Be sure to link to it from the “Get

Involved” or “How to Help” portion of your website. Once visitors

are on your landing page, you need to inspire them to take the

next step and sign up. Outline your program’s details and provide

information that helps them understand the key points.

Landing page tips:

• Keep it simple and easy to read with short paragraphs

and bullet points.

• Answer the big questions: What? Why? And How?

• Include a few lines about your charity and the impact of

their donations to inspire action.

• Include a prominent and clear call-to-action for

supporters to create their own third-party fundraising

page.

• Provide downloads of everything they need to succeed.

Guidelines, toolkits, checklists—you name it.

Email and newsletters: Your mailing list includes some of your

most dedicated supporters. Be sure to inform them of your

new fundraising program and demonstrate how easy it is for

them to host a fundraiser.

Engaging your supporters to participateYou have come up with great fundraiser ideas, laid the groundwork and now it’s time to promote your third-party fundraising

program. As with other methods of fundraising, you want to keep awareness high throughout the year, so build it into your

regular marketing communications calendar.

Check out these ideas on how to spread the word about your new third-party fundraising program!

Get social: Not only can you share the details of your program

and fun event ideas on your social channels, you can use them

to highlight individual fundraiser success stories. Testimonials

and personal stories are a great way to inspire others!

Holiday-specific ideas: During the holidays, offer up some

holiday-specific fundraiser ideas. Summer is a great time to

suggest challenge events. On your organization’s birthday,

promote your impact and encourage supporters to donate

their birthdays to your cause.

Communicate regularly: Keep in touch with your fundraisers.

Let them know how great of an impact they are making, that

they are appreciated, and encourage them to make their event

an annual activity. Don’t forget about the new donors who

were introduced to your cause through a third-party event.

Engage them and turn them into repeat donors.

Engage your community: Reach out to local businesses or

community organizations who are aligned with your cause

and interested in philanthropy. Many love to engage their

employees or members through fundraising events—so next

time, make it yours!

Tip: Their success is your success! Consider promoting third-party fundraisers on your website, social channels or newsletters.

Feeling excited about ramping up your third-party fundraising program? Learn more about the solutions from CanadaHelps

with resources and how-to videos.


https://www.canadahelps.org/en/trainingvideos/

Empower Your Charity’s Third-Party Fundraisers with Powerful Online Tools

Birthdays, memorials, gala dinners and virtual events are just

some of the popular occasions people leverage to independently

host fundraisers for the causes they love. With CanadaHelps, you

can give your supporters the tools they need to successfully host

third-party fundraisers, also known as “Do-it-yourself” events, on

your charity’s behalf.

An extension of the CanadaHelps Peer-to-Peer Social Fundraising

Solution for launching your charity’s team-based events, the

third-party fundraising feature provides you with all the same

robust branding, reporting and administrative controls, but with

the refined feature set and controls you need to easily empower

your supporters to raise money for your charity.

CanadaHelps is your Trusted Partner for Securely Fundraising Online. Phone: 1-877-755-1595 | [email protected] | www.canadahelps.orgCanadaHelps – CanaDon is a registered Canadian charity | BN: 896568417RR0001Accredited under the Imagine Canada Standards Program

With CanadaHelps’ Third-Party Fundraising tools, your charity can: • Empower your individual and corporate supporters to fundraise for your charity.

• Launch your online third-party fundraising site in minutes.

• Watch your supporters easily sign up, create their fundraising pages and start raising funds.

• Access ready-to-go images and banners for your charity and fundraisers to choose from.

• Choose the colours that match your brand for consistency across all fundraising pages.

• Get funds automatically disbursed to your bank account.

• Count on us for automatic tax-receipting.

• Use built-in email messaging to communicate with your fundraisers.

• Download donor and donation reports to upload to your CRM platform.

• Add custom signup questions and require fundraisers to agree to your Terms and Conditions.

• Manage your flexible campaign-approval settings based on your organization’s comfort level.

It’s easy to get started! Access the Peer-to-Peer Social Fundraising Solution available in your CanadaHelps Full

Fundraising account and choose “Create New Third-Party P2P Campaign” to create your campaign.

CanadaHelps – CanaDon is a registered charity • BN: 896568417RR0001 • 1-877-755-1595 • [email protected] • www.canadahelps.org 11CanadaHelps is your Trusted Partner for Securely Fundraising Online. Phone: 1-877-755-1595 | [email protected] | www.canadahelps.orgCanadaHelps – CanaDon is a registered Canadian charity | BN: 896568417RR0001Accredited under the Imagine Canada Standards Program

Launch team-based events like runs, walks, and other “-thons” with ease, or empower your supporters to engage their personal networks using third-party fundraising. Our robust solution provides everything your charity needs, including: a feature-rich yet easy to use self-serve experience, paid registration support, extensive branding, customization, administration, and reporting. Achieve all the advantages of social fundraising at a fraction of the cost of for-profit alternatives with CanadaHelps.

1. Launch Your P2PCampaign in Minutes


CanadaHelps – CanaDon is a registered charity • BN: 896568417RR0001 • 1-877-755-1595 • [email protected] • www.canadahelps.org 12CanadaHelps is your Trusted Partner for Securely Fundraising Online. Phone: 1-877-755-1595 | [email protected] | www.canadahelps.orgCanadaHelps – CanaDon is a registered Canadian charity | BN: 896568417RR0001Accredited under the Imagine Canada Standards Program

Optional paid event registration.

At Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada we are so grateful for the P2P tool from CanadaHelps! It gave us all the branding and feature options we needed to successfully run our Charity Ride, and look professional in the process. As an organization we’ve saved hundreds of administration hours and have been able to run a substantial fundraising event, just like the large charities, but at a fraction of the cost.”

—Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada


Did you benefit fromthis resource? Learn more about CanadaHelps and our fundraising solutions for charities here.

CanadaHelps – CanaDon is a registered charityBN: 896568417RR001 Phone: 1-877-755-1595Email: [email protected]

www.canadahelps.org

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/for-charities/


turn your supporters into third-party fundraisers · in the age of digital and social media, ......

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